Piero

Here is my current large set: XWA in, delos out. Will sell the delos when I have some spare time. This ep set is for Nunki, my 16" f4 dob, but it gets some use in my 4" Tak too.

That's stunning! Are you going to control the whole thing remotely?

3 eyepieces or 1 low power + zoom + barlow are the very minimum. However, when you have multiple scopes or the focal length is long enough, more eyepieces are needed to cover a wider range of targets. For instance, my 16" + pc2 has a focal length of 1868mm. I want something around 400x for PNs but also a low power for about 1 deg FOV (80-100x). Between these magnifications, I want 2-3 eyepieces to cover galaxies, globular clusters, small open clusters and planets (although the latter ones not my main targets). Another reason for having different types of eyepieces is the size / type. 100 deg eps are very handy for long focal lengths scopes, but these can be heavy and cause balancing issues with refractors (although the views can be breathtaking!). Naglers T6 are powerful but compact - an excellent compromise I'd say if eye relief is not an issue. I store mine in a pouch so that it is attached to my waist: no eyepiece case, pure grab and go. They are also parfocal, which is a great feature for my 12" f6 which now fits an helical focuser to slim down the UTA as much as I want to without affecting sturdiness. This eyepiece choice allowed me to reduce the size of telescope components, making it more manageable. In conclusion, there are many aspects to consider. That's why choosing eyepieces can be hard and a long going process - which inevitably affect the wallet!

In my previous post I should have added that those eyepieces are used with 5 telescopes as their focal ratios are not too different. To be explicit.. In Italy I have a SW 8" f6 dob which is used with 25mm, 10mm plossls and 5mm ortho. In the UK: - TV60: 24 Pan, N9T6, Nikon mc1 zoom and baader q-barlow (1.25" set) - tak100 f7.4: 1) 24 Pan, N13T6, N9T6, N7T6, VIP Barlow (1.25" set); 2) 30mm APM UFF, Zeiss zoom, VIP Barlow (2" set) - 12" f6 dob: 24 Pan, N13T6, N9T6, N7T6 (1.25" parfocal set) - 16" f4 dob + pc2: N22T4, 12.5mm Docter, 9 7 and 4.8mm APM XWA (2" set) These are the eyepieces I use. Then I have 3 TV Delos (which have been dethroned by the APM XWA) and a broken TV 20mm Plossl which likely has the lenses reverted (I need to contact televue as I cannot take it apart due to cemented barrel).

16 in the UK and 3 in Italy. At some point I could likely sell 3 eyepieces I have here though, settling at 13. I also have 2 barlows which are going nowhere BTW.

Nice one!

I use the N22T4 with my 16" dob and is a very comfortable eyepiece. With my 12" dob, 4" and 2.4" refractors, I regularly use the Nagler T6 13mm, 9mm and 7mm. They are parfocal with the 24 Pan and they all fit in my pouch.

To see more and more galaxies 😉

Great report, Stu, and happy to read that the Moonlite CR2 works well! It happens to lose a bit of motivation in this hobby. It is not like reading a book on the sofa! It's a rather tough hobby, outside, often in damp conditions, in the night, equipment to lift, etc.. as you said though, the sky has unique wonders to show. To me, this and the direct interaction with nature are driving forces, which take me out when I can and feel like. I work mostly remotely and will hopefully continue doing so. That said, work has been literally crazy since Dec 2021, due to a tender (which was won, but forced me to work insane hours). In my free time, I bought a new house and moved into just a week ago. Finally, over the past few months I redesigned my 12" f6 whenever I had some spare time too. Despite all of this, my biggest problem is and remains insomnia, which does not allow me to recharge properly.. Anyway, I only wanted to say that it happens to be busy and exhausted, but the sky is (and will still be) there, waiting for people like us. Regarding whether installing the focuser to the left or right in a Newtonian telescope, it's a personal preference. In my 16" and 12" dobs, the focuser was installed to the left when the telescope points to the South. The reasons are: 1) I prefer to pull the telescope towards me, rather than push it away. (It is also safer with the 12" as I need a step to observe near the zenith with that telescope). 2) I'm right hand and I use that hand to move the telescope. 3) I'm left eye and find it easier to move my head between focuser and finder, as well as turn my head to the Telrad/Rigel. My skywatcher 8" dob has the focuser on the other side instead. It's okay, of course, but I just find it easier when it is to the left.

I'm not sure why you need a bag. For a small/medium dobson like that, I would simply put the rocker box in the boot and the tube on the back seats of your car. If you are worried about scratches on the metal tube, you could wrap it up with a blanket. In any case you will need to check the collimation before using the telescope and dust won't enter in the tube due to the front cap.

The Rigel finder is quite light. You can simply drill and tap the shoe mount of the Rigel (where the screw would pass) so that you can install a bolt. Then you just need an aluminium plate and job done. Btw I use a telrad on my 16" and a Rigel on my 12". Originally, they were reversed, but while redesigning my 12" I decided to minimise the UTA weight as much as possible and so the two units were swapped. Between the two, I prefer the telrad, but the Rigel is a great alternative if weight is a concern.

My two boys alone and together:

Not at night, but still in action! My little feather touched Tak FC-100 inspecting the Sun.

Yesterday, I received a 7mm Nagler T6, which will complete my light set of parfocal eyepieces (24 Pan, Nagler 13 and 9). This set is used with my 12" f/6 dob (helical focuser) and 4" Tak +/- VIP barlow.

I had an ES 30mm 82 a few years ago. Mine was picked up in the second hand market for a bargain price. In my SkyWatcher 8" f6, it showed some astigmatism near the edge (I did not use a coma corrector with that telescope, so coma was also visible) and it certainly required a counterweight near the bottom of the tube. It was a good eyepiece particularly given the ridiculous price I paid for it. Following the selling of my ES 30mm 82mm, I tried 35mm Panoptic, 40mm MaxVision, 42mm Vixen LVW and the small eyepieces 30mm Vixen NLV and 32mm TV Plossl, before trying the 30mm APM UFF. The APM is my favourite eyepiece with a focal length >= 30mm based on optics, FOV, ergonomics, mechanics, weight and shape. The 30mm APM UFF delivers clean views to the edge even at F4 with PC2.

Nice work! I like reading threads discussing telescope improvements.

My home made 16" f4 dob, called "Nunki" (1st photo), next to my home made astro-chair. My Lukehurst 12" f6 dob (2nd photo) redesigned to what is now called "Phoenix" (3rd photo).

You are correct about phoenix . Rather than having a fire in the garden, a good chunk of it went in the bin. Let me know if you want to have a chat while designing / building your 20" dob. Happy to share my experience. Piero

Last night the redesigned telescope had its first light! I observed from 11.30PM to 2AM. The sky was still quite bright due to the long daylight in these days. The telescope is considerably more manageable due to the more shallow shape and reduced weight. The views exceeded my expectations. The amount of spherical aberration on stars that I used to see, was reduced to a negligible level (e.g. it is similar to my 4" Tak or 16" dob). Despite the bright-ish skies, it was possible to see that kind of `star dust` background when scanning Cygnus and in general many faint stars were detectable. I never had views like that with this telescope before these changes. The quality of star shapes and the ability of detecting faint stars is now in line with my other telescopes. Considering the major issues of the original mirror cell (e.g. incorrect lateral supports, non-isometric triangles, COG of triangles not where they were supposed to be, and much more... - see summary: https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/337091-lukehurst-nichol-classic-dobsonian-modifications/?do=findComment&comment=4249464 )The secondary mirror does not have issues, but it was glued to the secondary holder by the original maker. Gluing secondary mirrors to holders can cause issues (e.g. astigmatism). There was no trace of issues in the views, but it is too early to say this as the secondary mirror was glued in May-June 2019 when the temperatures were similar to those in these days. In the winter the cold temperatures will shrink the glass of the secondary and the silicon. Therefore, there is a chance that the secondary mirror figure will warp. If that happens, I might have to replace the holder. Mechanically, the telescope was a joy to play with. The axial movements were fine in the original telescopes and for this reason I did not change them. The general feeling was to handle something light but sturdy. The new Antares FOCH helical focuser worked well. I am not a great fan of helical focusers, but my plan was / is to use this telescope with parfocal TeleVue eyepieces (24 Pan and Nagler T6). Because of this, the helical focuser works very well. 2 kg detachable counterweights at the back balance the telescope at all altitudes. Here are some photos:

They are different instruments, but the C8 has a larger aperture. If cooled down and collimated properly, the C8 should not show soft stars. It will show you many more details than the refractor, particularly on DSOs.

Yes, the VIP element cell can be removed from the 1.25" baader nosepiece and screwed onto this other adapter (# 2458199) on the side where the writing "Tak adapter m43" is located: https://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/accessories/adapters-imaging-accessories/astro-t2-system/baader-m43a-x-0.75--t-2a-adapter-(e.g.-for-takahashi).html Then, this tak adapter can be connected via T2 to any 2" Baader nosepiece / reducer. Advantages of this configuration for visual use are: the change in focus position when the VIP is used or removed is minor. Also, adding spacers does not change the focus position much it is more solid, as it slots into the focuser via 2" the barlow can be used with 2" diagonals without hitting the mirror or prism Optically, the Baader VIP is excellent and I prefer it to the TV powermate 2.5x or Bresser SA telextender 2x I had (which were both very good BTW). It's the only tool I found that it can kind of improve the views when used. Here is a comparison when I used the VIP with some eyepieces. Zeiss zoom D-vario 25.1-6.7mm + VIP => reduced CA, FC, astigmatism at the edge. Contrast and transmission unaffected (=superb). Docter 12.5mm UWA + VIP => the feeling is to have a Docter of shorter focal length. Contrast and transmission unaffected (=superb). Vixen SLV 5mm + VIP => Oh boy.. this was just a tad behind the Vixen HR 2.4mm. Quite shocking. Nagler T6 9mm + VIP => I have not yet checked this on planets, but stars appear tighter in my Tak refractor. Delos 12mm and 8mm + VIP => Slightly more contrast, slightly tighter stars. Nikon zoom MC1 21mm-9mm + VIP => tighter stars and seems to offer slightly more contrast.

Then, I would go for something that is easy to carry around and assemble.. A C8 could be a good option for the times you head outside the city, whereas the refractor when observing from your balcony at home. I'm not sure I would be bothered about taking the refractor under dark skies tbh.. C8+AZ6 are 2 trips from your flat to your car. You will then need another trip for carrying your eyepiece case and other bits. Same when you return. Carrying the refractor adds another trip..

Thanks for the clarification. You can certainly mount a C8 on one arm and a refractor on the other arm of an AZ6 mount. If you are happy with moving the trio around, that's fine. Do you have a garage?

Mine is just a thought based on what you wrote. I see a substantial overlap between C8 and 180 Mak in terms of capability. Both require a decent mount and have a rather small FOV due to the long focal length. I would not see these two as "good all around", but actually quite specific-purpose instruments. What is your main interest: visual or imaging? Visual and imaging have very different requirements. I also see a substantial overlap between your 120 ST and a TS 152 F5.9. They are both wide field refractors, the latter a bit more powerful and bulkier than the other. The wide field refractors have very different eyepiece requirements than the C8 / 180 Mak. The SW ED 120 is in between. Therefore, it seems to me that your plan will be quite expensive in terms of telescopes and eyepieces, but it will also have redundancy, meaning that you will end up not using some instruments, I feel. Assuming that you are interested in visual astronomy, my recommendation would be an 8" or 10" dobson with about 1200mm focal length (e.g. skywatcher or bresser (the latter is slightly more expensive, but much better mechanically)), possibly coupled with a 100 ED refractor. Then, some money should be invested in a decent adjustable chair (e.g. Berlebach), Bob's collimation knobs if you get the Skywatcher dobson, and a decent collimation tool. Mastering collimation with a dobsonian telescope is feasible. It's just a matter of practice. The dobson will cover dso, planets and moon. The 100ED refractor will enable you to observe for short sessions, larger targets, planets, solar / lunar, etc. Following that you take care of the eyepieces. You might just need one set of eyepieces for both telescopes as the focal ratio is not too dissimilar, particularly if you decide to opt for an 8" dobson (generally f6) and you choose a 100ED ~F7.5.

The 30mm APM UFF is a great eyepiece optically and a joy to use in terms of ergonomics. Having said that, eyepieces work as a set not alone. You have a 20mm 100 deg eyepiece which shows slightly less FOV than the 30mm APM UFF, meaning that the major difference between the two, apart from the experience, is the exit pupil. Exploring eyepieces when you don't know what your telescopes are going to be can be an expensive exercise.. My suggestion is to spend more time figuring out what telescope you really want based on your lifestyle, targets of interest, finances etc. Then it's the time to build a set around it.